What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?

Page 119

Although it was forced upon him, Ash was still quite pleased, even smiling and nodding, saying, "Since you sincerely want to know and have paid the corresponding price, then telling you won't hurt~ And the answer is actually very simple..."

"What?" "Speak quickly!"

The two girls craned their necks, eagerly anticipating the questions.

"Hmm~ I'll give you a live demonstration! I'll only demonstrate it once, so watch carefully."

He stood up, picked up the cage from the ground, and casually opened it.

The three of them stared intently, not blinking, afraid of missing any details, when they saw the meteorite bird suddenly fly out of the cage with a shockwave.

But the moment the bird left its cage... Ash didn't use any special magic, nor did he have any scheme. He simply slapped it down, just as he himself said.

boom--! ! !

With a speed even faster than the bird, his palm, accompanied by a sonic boom, slammed the bird directly to the ground like a spiked ball, creating a large crater.

In an instant, Connie and Rabinhere were completely stunned by the chaotic shockwave.

Only Frillie let the wind whip her face, her expression one of numbness. She swallowed the meat in her mouth and muttered, "I knew it, this guy wouldn't be so kind..."

"What... what is this?!" "How could something like this possibly be copied?!"

Connie and Rabinhee were furious. Realizing they had most likely been ripped off, they grabbed their wands and charged into the smoke, ready to fight him to the death.

After all, this is no longer a question of whether we can win or not; it's about fighting back even if we have to lose.

But amidst the smoke and dust, they looked left and right but still couldn't find anyone, when they heard Frilian's helpless sigh behind them:

"...Don't bother looking for him, he's already escaped. You've been tricked."

"What?!"

"—That damn old man...!"

The girls' furious shouts suddenly echoed through the sky when the search yielded no results.

However, upon hearing the girl's frantic voice behind him, Ash casually tossed the meteorite bird back into its cage and, with a sense of satisfaction, quickly left the scene.

He said he genuinely wanted to maintain a good relationship, but the impulse and accompanying pleasure of playing around with Philon's friend, who was like both a daughter and a mother, were something he simply couldn't resist.

..............................

..............................

After eating, drinking, and playing to his heart's content, Ash didn't take a nap. Instead, he went to the safe zone at the edge of the barrier.

Zanze, who was elegantly sipping red tea by the dried-up riverbank in the safe zone, noticed a commotion coming from the bushes after only taking a sip, and unconsciously shook his head slightly.

The test takers these days are really hopeless; they've already given up after such a short time. I wonder if anyone will even pass this year—she couldn't help but sigh at the lack of talent these days.

But when she finally saw the familiar figure emerging from the bushes, she almost spat out her tea.

"—Ash-Lord Ash...? Why are you...?"

"I need a list of reference personnel, along with their information. You must have that here, right?"

"Wait... no, this can't be given to the examinees no matter what..."

"It's alright, I won't show it to anyone else. I just want to learn about their magic, and see if there's any interesting magic... I'd like to!"

These candidates, who have the potential to become first-level mages, can basically be considered to be at the forefront of human magic.

If we could take this opportunity to acquire the magic they are skilled in, that would be a good option.

Zanze, however, was speechless for a long time, her mouth agape, unable to utter a single word. Only one thought remained in her mind—Lord Ash, he's truly extraordinary in his capriciousness…just as reckless as Lady Celie…

"What's wrong, Zanze?"

"Actually... Lord Ash, the moment you stepped into this area, you were already surrendering..." Zanze said with a troubled expression, pursing his lips slightly as he explained his predicament.

"It's okay, if you don't tell and I don't tell, no one will know."

"No, it's not just me there... Look over there."

Faced with his willful remarks, Zanze sighed and pointed to the distant mountain peak.

The chief examiner for the first round of the Level 1 Mage exam, Gennau, was on that hilltop, overseeing the entire examination hall from above.

But when the two looked over, he suddenly rubbed his eyes in pain as if he had sand in them, completely unable to observe what was happening here. He disappeared in no time, seemingly unaware of the problem.

The betrayal, which his companion pretended not to see, left Zanze completely dumbfounded, unable to follow suit.

"...This guy actually dumped all the problems on me?"

"Isn't it a bit impolite to talk about someone as a problem in front of them?"

“…I’m sorry.” He complained, sounding a little annoyed, which made Zanze lower his head with a hint of distress: “…I really want to help you, but if Lady Celia finds out, she will definitely be angry.”

"Think about it, is she better to you or am I better to you?"

"...The key issue isn't who's better, but rather the rules..."

“If Celia finds out, I’ll help you resolve it. Rules are meant to be broken.” He pulled up a chair and sat down next to Zanze, gently stroking her hair with a smile, and coaxed her along:

"We are the rule-makers, not the rule-followers!"

Is it really okay for you to say something like that?

"What's wrong?"

"...The rules have already been set, and for the person who set them to break them is a bit... "

"Oh, look at you, your hair is all split here. Let's go back, I'll wash your hair for you! Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm actually quite good at this kind of thing!"

"...If it's just for looking, that's not impossible..."

Zanze, who was being petted like a small animal, could only nod slightly in resignation, given his attitude of not leaving until he agreed and the exchange conditions he was given.

As he showed a delighted expression, Zanze let out a small sigh: "Ha...you really are...as willful as Lady Celie..."

"Wait a minute, is it a bit impolite of you to speak to an adult like that, especially in front of him?"

His eloquent protest prompted Zanze to retort, "...I'm an adult now, and...I don't want to be lectured on manners by Ash-sama, who always changes and ignores the rules."

"This... um, are you really going through a rebellious phase? You were definitely cuter before."

“I’m an adult now, but…” Zanze frowned slightly, but then smiled at the end: “…Thank you.”

"what?"

"The thing about praising me."

"Ah... to correct me, I was just kidding. You're as cute as ever." Frank children are indeed the cutest~ And she's such a kuudere loli, even as cute as a fluffy little animal—he couldn't help but want to hug Zanze inwardly, and then...: "—I just want to take her home like this~!"

"...Please don't do this, Lord Ash, it's very troubling for me."

"Uh, did you say it?"

“Yes…” Zanze nodded slightly, but then smiled helplessly: “Was this also your joke?”

"No, I'm actually quite serious about it."

".....Huh? What does this mean...?" The girl tilted her head dramatically, seemingly unable to comprehend the meaning of the words.

"Ah... cough, let's put this aside for now." To avoid shifting the focus of the conversation too much, or being seen as a strange person by his adorable junior, Ash could only end the topic with a smile and quietly took a sip of tea.

However... his silent act of drinking tea caused the girl beside him to have a somewhat subtle change in expression. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but say:

"Lord Ash..."

"what?"

"...Your black tea..."

"It tastes good. What kind is it? I'll buy some next time."

“That’s not the issue…” Zanze seemed to have something he couldn’t say, and he couldn’t get to the bottom of it, leaving Zanze completely baffled: “What’s wrong? Is it that expensive? I’ll pay you back, okay? Why are you being so stingy?”

“That’s… the one I drank.” Zanze pursed his pink lips and softly pointed out the problem.

"Huh? Is that so? Hmm...you're right, there seems to be only one teacup here..." He froze for a moment, then silently put the teacup back, pushed it to the other person, and awkwardly lowered his head, covering his mouth, saying, "I feel a little apologetic..."

"Huh...? Lord Ash, wasn't this done on purpose?"

"No?? What kind of person do you take me for?"

"I......"

"—Okay, you don't need to say anything, I don't want to know."

For the sake of his own fragile heart, he interrupted Zanze before she could even speak.

This left her stunned for a while before she finally let out a sigh of relief and silently got up to go to the back tent to get the candidates' materials for him.

This action was undoubtedly the biggest cover-up, a stark contrast to Ash's incorruptible statement on his first day back at the Magic Association, but...

"...If it's Lord Ash, then there's nothing we can do." She made up her reasons while organizing the information.

As for the person who most often followed Seria, Zanze had almost gotten used to his master and senior brother's habitual willfulness.

And they did put up some resistance, but if the other party wouldn't listen... there was nothing they could do, right?

With a hint of helplessness and a rare smile, the girl took out new cups and some desserts from her luggage.

The two of them chatted and enjoyed afternoon tea and desserts in this safe zone, abandoning the rules and savoring the peaceful afternoon.